Protective metal beading for furniture or the like



Feb. 28, 1939. Wl F: HERQLD 2,149,089

lPROTECTIVE' METAL BEADING FO FURNITURE OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 50, 1937 INVENTOR WALEER F Hamm.

ATTORN EY Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE PROTECTIVE METAL BEADING FOR FURNI- TURE` OR THE LIKE Walter F. Herold, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to The Bassick Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 30,

6 Claims.

protect the surface of the wood from contact with the extraneous objects. As an instance the invention is especially adapted for use upon the legs of swivel chair bases, to provide protection against marring of the leg by engagement of the shoe heels of the user of the chair with the legs.

It is an object of the invention to provide a protective beading which may be conveniently attached to the leg or other` furniture surface so that it will conform to the contour thereof, and in this respect to provide a beading which may be readily formed into any desired shape. Another object is to provide a beading having attaching means consisting of a series of teeth provided upon one edge of the beading and which are adapted to be forced into a slot or kerf produced in the surface of the furniture by a saw cut, the form and arrangement of such teeth being such as to enable the beading to be bent into any desired shape while still maintaining the teeth in aligned relation so that they can be engaged in said slot, and the position of the attaching teeth at one edge being such that while the beading may be applied contiguous to the edge of the leg or the like the slot for receiving the teeth may be substantially spaced from the edge so that there will be no likelihood of splitting.

A further object is to provide a beading which may be economically formed from sheet metal.

With the above and other objects in view, embodiments of the invention are shown in the ac'- companying drawing, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be nally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of one leg of a swivel chair base, having beading according to the invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the inner side of a beading strip, shaped to conform to a chair base leg similar to that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5- is a sectional view of a furniture leg having beading according to the invention attached contiguous to each edge.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a sheet metal blank showing the manner in which two beading strips according to the invention may be cut.

1937, serial N. 171,862

(c1. en -74) Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the kinner side of a beading strip, according to a modied form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a portion of a chair base leg, showing the beading illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8 attached adjacent one edge thereof.

Similar reference characters indicate correspondng parts throughout the several gures o1 l the drawing.

Referring to the drawing the beading strip comprises an upper portion IU of substantially semi-circular cross-sectional Shape having its ends closed by cupping the same, as at I I-I I, so that the end edges will engage the surface of the furniture in a similar manner to the 1ongiv tudinal edges. While the portion I0 is shown as of semi-circular cross-section it will be understood that it may be of any other suitable crosssectional shape. Along one edge of the top portion I0 there are provided a series of spaced teeth I2 of dovetail shape with their narrow portions adjacent the edge of the top portion I0, the cutouts I3 between the teeth being correspondingly shaped to the teeth -but in reverse arrangement, so that the wide ends of the notches are adjacent the topyportion I ll. By reason of this arrangement the teeth provide a relatively large surfaced attaching means'at one edge of the beading, but the connecting portions of the teeth are suiiiciently narrow to enable the beading to be bent into any desired shape without buckling of the metal. Intermediate the upper and lower ends of each tooth there is provided a crimp I4 producing a groove upon the inner surface of. the beading and a projection upon the outer surface for the purpose of frictionally engaging or interlocking with the wall of the slot in the furniture, as will presently more fully appear. In the application of the beading the toothed slot engaging edge is the inner edge, the untoothed surface engaging edge being outwardly toward the edge of the furniture.

Slots or kerfs I5 are provided in the wooden leg I6 by a saw cut, these slots corresponding in width to the gauge of the metal of which the beading is made, and being preferably slightly deeper than the length of the teeth I2. The cuts of the slots I5 preferably terminate, as at II-I'I, Fig. 2, within the surface of the leg so that when the beading is attached the ends of the slots will be concealed by the cupped ends I I-II of the beading. The beading is attached by inserting the teeth I2 into the slot, this being conveniently done by light hammer blows, bringing the wide ends of the cutouts I3 slightly into the slots and drawing the outer edges of the top portion I0 into tight contact with the surface of the leg. The projections I4 produced by the crimping of the teeth will bite into the wood surface of the slot and increase the holding effect of the teeth, and as these projections are at the side of the slot which is covered by the top portion I0, the slight indentations produced in the slot through the entering engagement of the projections will not be visible. On the other hand the exposed edge of the slot will be in continuous tight engagement with the inner edge of the top portion ID of the beading. It will be seen that the outer edge of the beading may be brought very close to and in fact into flush relation with the outer end of the leg, and at the same time the slot I5 will be sufficiently spaced from the edge of the leg so that there will be no danger of splitting.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the manner in which two beading strips may be cut from a single strip of sheet metal, the teeth I2 of one strip exactly tting into the slots I3 of the other strip. The flat blanks thus formed are shaped in suitable dies into the desired cross-sectional shapes.

In Figs. 7 to 9 I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the teeth I2a are of T-form, and the slots I3*l are of corresponding but reverse T-form. The corners of the upper shoulders of the lower portions of the teeth are bent inwardly, as at I4a to form projecting barbs upon the outer surface of the teeth and which are adapted to bite into the wall of the slot I5 of the furniture leg in substantially same manner as the projections I4 of the first embodiment. The barbs permit the teeth to be readily driven into the slot, but will effectually resist withdrawal. As in the case of the first embodiment this beading may be similarly formed from a single strip of sheet metal, the T-shape teeth of one strip fitting into the T-shape slots of the other strip.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof as dened in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture and attaching means at one edge of said top portion adapted to engage said slot, the other edge of said top portion adapted to abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot.

2. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like, comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture and attaching means consisting of a series of spaced tooth portions at one edge of said top portion adapted to engage said slot, the other edge of said top portion adapted to abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot.

3. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like, comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture and attaching means consisting of a series of spaced tooth portions at one edge of said top portion relatively wide at their lower ends and relatively narrow adjacent the edge of said top portion and adapted to engage said slot, the other edge of said top portion adapted to abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot.

4. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like, comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture and attaching means consisting of a series of spaced tooth portions at one edge of said top portion relatively wide at their lower edges and relatively narrow adjacent the edges of said top portion and adapted to engage said slot, the spaces between said teeth being correspondingly shaped to said tooth portions and reversed with respect thereto, the other edge of said top portion adapted to abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot.

5. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like, comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture and attaching means consisting of a series of spaced tooth portions at one edge of said top portion adapted to engage said slot and frictional gripping means on said teeth between their upper and lower ends projecting with respect to the surface disposed towards the other edge of said top portion, the other edge of said top portion adapted to abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot.

6. Beading for engagement in a slot provided in furniture or the like, comprising a top portion adapted to engage the surface of the furniture having spaced longitudinal edge portions extending toward the furniture surface and an intermediate portion in spaced relation to the furniture surface, one of said edges being continuous and adapted to conform to and abut the furniture surface in spaced relation to said slot and the other edge having projecting attachment means adapted to engage said slot.

WALTER F. HEROLD. 

